Kidney stones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large–sometimes larger to an extent that it measures more than 5 cm in size. They can stay in your kidneys or travel through your ureters (the tubes that goes from your kidneys to the bladder and drains urine into the bladder normally), and out of your body with your urine. When a kidney stone moves through the ureters and out through urethra (tube that allows passage of urine from the bladder out of the body) with the urine, it is called passing a kidney stone. A kidney stone can also get stuck in your urinary tract and block urine from getting through. When you pass a stone or a large stone in the tube blocks the flow of your urine, it can cause unbearable pain and also other severe symptoms of kidney stones like fever, burning sensation or pain while passing urine, nausea, vomiting, blood in urine or inability to pass urine with complete blockage flow of urine.

TYPES OF KIDNEY STONES

• Calcium stones are the most common type of kidney stones. They are usually made of calcium and oxalate (a natural chemical found in most foods), but are sometimes made of calcium and phosphate.
• Uric acid stones form when your urine is often too acidic. Uric acid can form stones by itself or with calcium.
• Struvite stones can happen when you have certain types of urinary tract infections in which bacteria make ammonia that builds up in your urine. Struvite stones are made of magnesium, ammonium and phosphate hexahydrate.
• Cystine stones are made of a chemical that your body makes naturally, called cystine. Cystine stones are rare, and happen in people who have a genetic disorder that causes cystine to leak from the kidneys into the urine

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS OF KIDNEY STONES?

Anyone can get a kidney stone, but some people are more likely than others to have them. Men get kidney stones more often than women do. Kidney stones are also more common in non-Hispanic white people than in people of other ethnicities. You may also be more likely to have kidney stones if:

• You have had kidney stones before.
• Someone in your family has had kidney stones.
• You don’t drink enough water.
• You follow a diet high in protein, sodium and/or sugar.
• You are overweight or obese.
• You have had gastric bypass surgery or another intestinal surgery.
• You have polycystic kidney disease or another cystic kidney disease.
• You have a certain condition that causes your urine to contain high levels of cystine, oxalate, uric acid or calcium.
• You have a condition that causes swelling or irritation in your bowel or your joints.
• You take certain medicines, such as diuretics (water pills) or calcium-based antacids.
• You have some structural (anatomical) problem in the urinary tract that is leading to sub-optimal urinary drainage out of the body

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF KIDNEY STONES?

• Sharp shooting episodic pain in your back or lower abdomen
• Pain while urinating
• Blood in your urine
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever

Why You Should Not Delay Kidney Stone Surgery?

• Can cause damage to the whole kidney or the urinary tract requiring additional corrective procedures
• Can cause blood loss through the urinary passage
• Can cause urinary tract infection
• Can cause of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) requiring Dialysis or Kidney transplant in the long run

Treatment Option of Kidney Stones

• Extracorporeal Shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL)
•  Ureteroscopy and treatment of stones (Commonly known as URS)
• PCNL (Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy)
• Flexible Nephro-ureteroscopy with LASER treatment of stones RIRS - Retrograde Intra Renal Surgery
• ECIRS - Endoscopic Combined Intra Renal Surgery

Why Laser Surgery for Kidney Stone?

• Quick recovery
• Minimal pain
• Minimal bleeding
• Quick recovery
• Shortest possible hospitalisation
• Relatively higher stone free rate (clearance of stone)